The Nimzo-Indian, the Gruenfeld and the King’s Indian Defence are three incredibly uncomfortable defences to meet. This hypermodern DVD gives new ideas on how to squash these setups with sound, positional play based on double fianchetto systems. This DVD focuses on the move 1.Nf3 and covers the necessary variations to meet Black’s most popular systems, including the ones listed above as well as the Slav and Catalan/Orthodox type setups. White steers away from mainstream theory while still being on the aggressive side and causing Black problems from the beginning.

Alexander Alekhine, the fourth World Champion, played many fantastic attacking games and to this day enjoys the reputation of being an attacking genius. But ever since Alekhine won the World Championship match against Capablanca in Buenos Aires 1927 the chess world could see that the Russian-born Alekhine – who immigrated to France in 1921 – also handled technical positions excellently. But his success against Capablanca was still a surprise because the Cuban was considered to be virtually unbeatable.

On this DVD, a team of experts presents you every facet of the chess legend, and shows you the winning techniques and strategies employed by the 11th World Champion. Grandmaster Dorian Rogozenco delves into Fischer’s openings, and retraces the development of his repertoire. What variations did Fischer play, and what sources did he use to arm himself against the best Soviet players? Mihail Marin explains Fischer’s particular style and his special strategic talent in annotated games against Spassky, Taimanov and other greats.

This DVD by Lubomir Ftacnik deals with the Hedgehog structure and its phenomenal potential for generating active counterplay with Black. The appeal of elastic piece development around a dynamic pawn structure has helped to spread this concept to many other openings. The author has consciously limited his survey to the English Hedgehog with an emphasis on the challenges Black faces following the centralisation of White’s queen after 1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 e6 4.g3 b6 5.Bg2 Bb7 6.0-0 Be7 7.d4 cxd4 8.Qxd4. While Black will have to survive various challenges to his position, as the aggressor enjoys a slight advantage in development and has great freedom of movement for his pieces, once the defender manages to fend off direct aggression, his prospects are usually quite promising.

This Slav DVD is a complete opening repertoire for black after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6. GM Nick Pert has played the Slav defence for over 10 years and provides all his la test and most up to date analysis crammed into 1 DVD. Nick has spent man y hours studying the best Slav lines, and he explains his favourite variations in this DVD. In addition t o the usual video explanations of the French there are some interactive clips where the viewer is tested on a range of theoretical questions and tactics arising from Slav games.

Some of the most interesting lines in the King’s Gambit starting with 3 Nf3, especially concentrating ‘on the refutation of the King’s Gambit (Fisher)’ 3...g5. I have given the reader a full repertoire, that they can play with 3 Nf3, so all lines are covered. We also briefly look at the crazy 3 Be2 3 d4 and 3 Nc3.

The Sicilian Tajmanov-Scheveningen - Alejandro Ramirez A Safe Path Through the Sicilian Jungle

Catalog Code: WIN0425CB

The Sicilian has been known for decades as the most reliable way for Black to obtain an unbalanced but good position. Among the most popular Sicilians at the top level the two that certainly stand out are the Najdorf and the Paulsen. Unlike the Najdorf, the Paulsen provides a safer and more positionally based way of fighting against 1.e4. Black is able to obtain adequate counterplay in all variations without going for a do-or-die type of attack.

This DVD looks at the most important and most frequent tactical themes and sacrifices in the Sicilian Najdorf. Grandmaster Niclas Huschenbeth shows us the typical tactical ideas for both White and Black along with the criteria that need to be met for a particular sacrifice to work in this opening in several demonstrative games.

POWER PLAY - A Repertoire for Black Against the Anti-Sicilians - Daniel King

Catalog Code: WIN0418CB

Accept the Morra Gambit with confidence. Tame the Grand Prix Attack. Put fear into the heart of every tedious 2 c3 player. You can make 1...c5 a dangerous weapon whether it’s an open or closed Sicilian.

Lubomir Ftacnik complements his popular Scheveningen DVD with fresh material for training tactical themes. The world’s most popular opening, the Sicilian defense (played in more than 50% of all games!) rises and falls with attack, fantasy and combinations. The ability to spot a tactical opportunity, calculate variations and choose the best line decides the game in sharp Sicilian positions and, even on its own, is a skill worth having.

For years the only correct way to play against the Sicilian was to tackle it head-on with the Open Sicilian (i.e. when white plays an early d4). In recent years, some of the worlds best players have started to essay some dangerous anti Sicilian lines, with great success. In this Master & Amateur DVD, International Master Lorin D’Costa and chess software expert Nick Murphy outline the various “anti-Sicilians”. These openings can give you a potential advantage, whilst avoiding your opponent’s favourite Sicilian line.

The flank attack is one of those sneaky ways of surrounding your opponent's forces and getting to your target fast! So, do we really need to master flank attacks to use them or protect ourselves from them effectively? The answer is a resounding "Yes!"

Modern tournament practice has virtually surpassed the so-called "opening theory". Thanks to a wealth of tournament games some openings and lines develop so rapidly that even the ambitious amateur has difficulties to keep his own repertoire updated. But experts help. Ex- FIDE-World Champion Rustam Kasimzhanov is considered to be one of the leading experts in the field of opening preparation. In three World Championship matches he was second of Viswanathan Anand and helped him to successfully defend the title. And with Kasimdzhanov’s help and excellent opening preparation the German team surprisingly became European Team Champion 2011. On this DVD Kasimdzhanov presents highly topical openings and shows their current state of "theory". From the perspective of a top player he explains why certain openings are played while others more or less vanished from tournament practice. This DVD helps you to remain up-to-date in a number of important and popular openings and provides you with many ideas for your own repertoire.

Fighting Against the Caro-Kann with the Advance Variation - Victor Bologan A Repertoire for White

Catalog Code: WIN0424CB

The Caro-Kann Defence is one of the most solid replies for Black after 1.e4. I’ve played it myself for many years with black, so I know how difficult is to gain an advantage with white. My choice of the Advance Variation for White is because of the complex strategical play in which White has a long-term space advantage. - Victor Bologan

The Grünfeld is a highly dynamic opening in which Black’s position often seems to hang together by a single thread; and yet, this apparently precarious equilibrium appears to be enough to make it entirely viable - up to the highest level.

Solid and Safe Against the Wild Indians - Play the Fianchetto - Nicholas Pert

Catalog Code: WIN0447CB

The King’s Indian and Grunfeld are notoriously tricky and theoretical openings. The Fianchetto variation avoids the main lines which Black players enjoy, and goes for a small but safe edge. Many people fear playing against the King’s Indian because of Black’s ability to attack the White King, but in the Fianchetto variation it is very hard for Black to generate any attacking chances, instead play is often positional, with White having slightly more space for his or her pieces. In this DVD, the author has gone a long way to finding the best lines for White to gain an advantage against Black’s various responses.

In the classical system of the King’s Indian White develops naturally and refrains from chasing ghosts looking for a refutation of Black’s set-up. White instead relies on the fact that natural play should yield him a small but lasting advantage. Many great players of the past and the present have used and use this system successfully. The videos explaining the Mar del Plata Attack (which form the main part of this DVD) offer strategic guidance and show typical tactical ideas, while presenting a detailed, solid and aggressive repertoire.

Is there an absolute truth in a flexible opening such as the Pirc Defense? After I had played and studied the Pirc intensively for more than ten years I was sure I had found the best move order against each White system. Then I stopped playing the opening for a while and when I checked new ideas I realized that things were not that simple. Thus, the repertoire I recommend on this DVD is a combination of good lines in my old repertoire that have stood the test of time and new lines inspired by my fresh look at the Pirc. When playing the Pirc one must know what to do against White‘s attacking systems.

Is there an absolute truth in a flexible opening such as the Pirc Defense? After I had played and studied the Pirc intensively for more than ten years I was sure I had found the best move order against each White system. Then I stopped playing the opening for a while and when I checked new ideas I realized that things were not that simple. Thus, the repertoire I recommend on this DVD is a combination of good lines in my old repertoire that have stood the test of time and new lines inspired by my fresh look at the Pirc.

In the 1970s a group of strong English players (Miles, Speelman, Keene above all and later Short) developed a slightly unusual opening starting after the moves 1.d4 e6 2.c4 b6. Just like in the Grünfeld or the Alekhine Defences, Black concedes the centre. However, rather than provoking pawn advances by an early development of the knights, Black wants instead to develop his bishops (most frequently to the squares b7 and b4). This approach contradicts the orthodox rule of development (knights before bishops) but is not it better to get some pieces out instead of spending a lot of tempi with the knight in provocation?! The original character of the play as well as the good preparation by the aforementioned grandmasters led to the recognition of this setup as the English Defence.

The onus is typically on the player with the Isolated Queen’s Pawn to find dynamic resources that compensate their structural weakness. The aim of this DVD is to offer the viewer tactical exercises that also illustrate the attacking prospects within IQP positions, and as the ensuing positions can arise from so many different openings, the content of the DVD emphasizes the importance of understanding this type of pawn structure.

Andrew Martin: The wicked Veresov Attack A tricky Opening with 1.d4 The Veresov ( 1 d4 Nf6 2 Nc3 d5 3 Bg5) is little-played and understood when we compare it to other queen’s pawn openings, like the Trompowsky, Torre Attack and London system. As such it can be a very dangerous weapon in the right hands. Very few club or amateur players will be properly prepared to play against it.

On this DVD, Mihail Marin presents the major tactical themes and options available for both sides in the Benoni. Based on an interactive format, which prompts users to solve a range of training questions by inputting moves, the well-known theoretician and Grandmaster invites you to take part and challenge yourself with a training course aimed at delivering a structured, intensive and systematic approach to learning the key positions in the Benoni as well as knowledge of a number of the defence’s tactical finesses.

The Semi-Slav defense (1.d4 d5 followed by ...e7-e6 and ...c7-c6) is one of the most popular opening set-ups for Black. Black can follow two entirely different concepts. One includes an early ...Ng8-f6 and leads to a number of popular and deeply analysed systems: the Meran, the Anti-Meran, the Botvinnik, the Moscow, the Anti- Moscow, the Westphalian, etc. The other, in which Black refrains from ...Ng8-f6 at an early stage, is presented by GM Michal Krasenkow on this DVD. Black keeps a choice between two double-edged interesting systems: the Noteboom variation (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 dxc4) and the Stonewall (...f7-f5) if White plays an early e2-e3. Of course Black’s decision to refrain from an early ...Ng8-f6 gives White other options, the most important being the Slav gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.e4 etc.). Therefore Black’s set-up may lead to a whole range of different and interesting positions, which help the black player to broaden his strategic and tactical understanding. This makes the Noteboom/Stonewall opening repertoire a particularly good choice for young, aspiring players.

The information explosion has led to a massive increase in opening theory. But how often do you win a game with a prepared line? What gives strong players the edge over their opponents is not some blockbuster novelty, but a deep understanding of the pawn structures to which their openings lead – an understanding that lasts into the middlegame and endgame, and is transferable between different openings with similar structures. In this DVD, Sam Collins examines the Isolated Queen’s Pawn (IQP) and associated structures. Using games almost exclusively from grandmaster praxis in the last two years, Collins explains all of the major ideas for playing with and against the IQP, including the d5-advance, kingside attacks (including the rook lift, h4-h5 and Bxh6 sacrifices), central sacrifices (including the Rxe6 exchange sacrifice in various positions from the Petroff), queenside play and simplification, and gives some guidance on how to assess transpositions into related structures.The universality of the IQP is illustrated by the games on this DVD, played in openings as diverse as the Nimzo Indian, Queen’s Gambit Accepted, Semi-Tarrasch, Caro-Kann, Slav, c3-Sicilian, French Tarrasch, Bogo Indian and Petroff. A final section of questions and answers (in Chessbase’s new interactive format) tests and reinforces the reader’s knowledge of the IQP, one of the most important structures in modern chess.

The Scotch has long been associated with exciting play, although people often doubt it’s positional base. But the opening has evolved from the swashbuckling games of the 19th century to become a sound, but aggressive, alternative to the evergreen Spanish. In his first Fritz-Trainer DVD, Parimarjan Negi looks at the latest revolution in Scotch theory that has completely changed white’s plans, and once again brought back the interest of the world’s elite. Negi presents not only the white strategies in detail but also outlines a dynamic way for Black to counter this latest trend.

HIARCS Chess Explorer is a superb new chess database, analysis and playing program for either PC Windows or Apple Macintosh computers. It offers a truly innovative and intuitive new graphical user interface together with the reigning World Chess Software Champion HIARCS 14 chess engine. This unique combination is refreshingly easy to use and includes many unique new features for managing chess databases, chess preparation, analysis and training for players of all abilities from beginner to Grandmaster.

HIARCS Chess Explorer is a superb new chess database, analysis and playing program for either PC Windows or Apple Macintosh computers. It offers a truly innovative and intuitive new graphical user interface together with the reigning World Chess Software Champion HIARCS 14 chess engine. This unique combination is refreshingly easy to use and includes many unique new features for managing chess databases, chess preparation, analysis and training for players of all abilities from beginner to Grandmaster.

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